1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote control system for remotely controlling a communication terminal and, more particularly, to a system and method for enabling a remote manager to change a setting in a communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various systems have hitherto been proposed for remotely controlling a communication terminal such as a telephone device or an information communication terminal. For example, Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. S64-36191 discloses a remote control system in which a remote maintenance terminal sends setup information to a communication terminal by using a user-user information element in a SETUP message and the communication terminal sends a setup completion notification back to the remote maintenance terminal similarly by using the user-user information element.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2003-92640 discloses a telephone communication controller that has a predetermined telephone number registered beforehand and, when the telephone number of a caller matches the registered number, permits remote control of the caller. Similarly, Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. H6-37752 discloses a technology for increasing security by checking the source IP address.
However, in the conventional remote control systems, the setup information is unilaterally transmitted to the communication terminal, and it has been impossible to efficiently execute a setting change on a large number of communication terminals. For example, in the system according to Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. S64-36191, setup of the communication terminal cannot be complete unless the remote maintenance terminal receives the setup completion notification. Therefore, if a setting in each of a large number of communication terminals is updated, heavy load will be imposed on the remote maintenance terminal.
Moreover, a communication terminal is not always available for a setting change when a management device transmits setup information to the communication terminal, because the user of the communication terminal cannot know when a setting change occurs. Reversely, in the case where polling to reset the communication terminal side is performed periodically, the server side cannot execute a setting change at an arbitrary timing. Accordingly, the problem arises that even when setup information is changed to the latest version, the setting cannot be updated promptly.
Furthermore, in the case where setup information is set externally through access established by using HTTP or TELNET, the possibility cannot be denied that a communication terminal is controlled through unauthorized access and the internal information is stolen. In the above-described systems according to Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication Nos. 2003-92640 and H6-37752, unauthorized access is prevented by checking the caller's telephone number or source IP address. However, once passing through this checking, unauthorized access is allowed to the inside of a communication terminal.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2004-120259 discloses a data management system in which a server is provided with a memory storing a directory used to store internal data for each facsimile device so as to manage internal data of the facsimile device and further an instruction of a client device is sent to the server through the facsimile device.
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 2000-134361 discloses a setting-updatable telephone device which is capable of refusing a setting-update request from a calling telephone device.